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UK dairy farmers pour tens of thousands of litres of milk away due to HGV driver shortage

The Sky News reported, British dairy farmers say they have poured tens of thousands of litres of milk away due to the HGV driver shortage - and fear it is just the "tip of the iceberg" ahead of winter.
It said, one fourth-generation dairy farmer in central England has been forced to dump 40,000 litres of milk over the past two months after no drivers turned up to collect it due to the HGV driver shortage.
The farmer, who preferred not to mention his name, said: "It's cutting, it's emotionally draining when you're producing milk and at the end of the day you have to pull the plug and it has to go."
The farmer said he has had to destroy four milk loads since the beginning of August and previously had only had to do it two or three times in 45 years due to bad weather.

According to the Sky News, other farmers have reported turning to "distress milk services", which are small companies set up to buy milk at lower prices and transport it to other outlets to stop it from being dumped.
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It mentioned that 15.3 billion litres of milk was produced in the UK last year so the effect of supplies having to be poured down the drain or sold for less will not yet be seen in shops.
But, it shows the extent of the labour problems across the UK and follows in the footsteps of the fuel crisis and hundreds of healthy pigs being slaughtered because there are not enough abattoir workers.
Peter Alvis, chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers said, and as many dairy farmers do not make a profit on their milk, any small knocks are felt very quickly.
He said: "I don't think things with global supply chains have settled down again after the pandemic, and the shortage of HGV drivers is having quite a large impact."
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Mr Alvis said milk wastage was so far limited to a few incidents, but precise data is difficult to obtain.
Rob Hunthatch, 38, runs a distress milk service rescuing milk for half its normal price and turning it into curd, which is the first stage in cheesemaking.
He said he typically only has two hours to pick up the milk after a farmer calls him before it is dumped.
In September, he saved 160,000 litres of milk in Cheshire alone - a 100,000 litre increase from the previous month - but was unable to save a further 80,000 litres.
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Mr Huntbatch said: "This is only the tip of the iceberg."
"I think it will get worse - in wintertime if there's snow, drivers get slowed down, and it's going to make even more of an impact."
Milk wastage is not the only current problem facing dairy farmers, with prices for fertiliser used to grow feed rocketing, as well as natural gas and electricity.
Henry Bloxham, a Staffordshire dairy farmer, said his fertiliser prices have risen by 150% in three weeks and fuel increased by 10p a litre in the last week.
Source: skynews
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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